


I give you this Smile (please accept it)

by crystalklances



Series: My golden thread is your Smile [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Keith's feelings are confessed later but it's Lance's POV, Klance Fluff Week 2017, M/M, Pining Lance (Voltron), Set in Canonverse, a bit like an insight in Lance's mind but Keith is there at the end, it talks about Lance's feelings for Keith throughout to meet the theme, the angst is slight and the fluff is at the end but?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-20 03:13:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9472943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalklances/pseuds/crystalklances
Summary: Day 5 of Klance Fluff Week - FeelingsLance tried to catch Keith's attention throughout their time at the Garrison and later finds out that Keith did notice.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was trying to come up with what to do for this theme, and then thought why not try to write a companion fic to "Your Smile like the Sun" because I have been wanting to write more pining Lance anyway?  
> I keep feeling like it's not fluffy enough for an event like fluff week (my brain sets terribly high standards on me) - but hopefully people will still like it.

Lance wasn’t quite sure when exactly his feelings developed, if it was something similar to love at first sight or if they grew over time. What he _did_ know is that the moment he laid his eyes on a particular boy at the Garrison, he had the strong urge to get to know him, to get close to him.

The first time he saw him, it was when they crossed paths in the hallway on their first day, and _something_ about him drew Lance in. Lance smiled at him, and for a moment it seemed like the stranger without a name was about to stop walking, that he would react. But then he continued walking the other direction without smiling back or nodding in recognition, and that was when Lance _knew_ he would do anything to get his attention.

Soon he found out that they were in the same class and that the boy’s name was Keith. Both of them were aiming to be pilots, though Keith had a spot as fighter pilot while Lance was placed to be a cargo pilot. Admittedly, Lance was jealous because becoming a fighter pilot like his hero, Shiro, was his big dream, but it was the kind of jealousy that inspired him to work harder than ever to be a match to Keith’s status as a prodigy. To be able to move into fighter class through hard work and dedication. He admired Keith for what he could do in the simulator.

He also thought that Keith was very handsome, especially when he had that gleam in his eyes when flying reckless maneuvers in simulations.

This mix of feelings was confusing, at first: Lance didn’t know if it was purely a sense of rivalry combined with an appreciation of Keith’s good looks. And yet, every day without fail, whenever Keith was nearby, Lance would make sure to send him a smile when their eyes met, sometimes even when their eyes didn’t meet. Each time, he was hoping to catch Keith’s attention, to make him take notice of his existence. Hoping that maybe Keith would approach him.

But no matter how many smiles he gave, no matter how hard he worked to be at the top of class right next to Keith, nothing seemed to work. Keith never seemed to truly acknowledge him in class. That didn’t stop Lance from trying, though; he wouldn’t give up so easily. Especially because every so often, Lance noticed that Keith would stop in his tracks to look at him, gaze fixed on his face. It sent shivers down Lance’s spine.

Soon, Lance realized that what he was feeling was far from _just_ admiration for a rival who inspires you to work hard. When his gaze kept lingering on Keith even when Keith wasn’t looking at him, staring at his back during class, memorizing all of Keith’s features and being able to spot him in the crowd even from afar and without seeing his face … that’s when he realized that he had a crush on Keith.

He was lost what to do about his feelings, so he continued as before, smiling at him from across the room, in the hallway, the cafeteria, anywhere they passed by each other.

Then the failure of the Kerberos mission happened. Eventually, Keith was kicked out, leaving open the spot in fighter class Lance had yearned for all this time.

For a long time, Lance didn’t know what he was feeling after that. Suddenly, his rival—the boy he had a crush on—was gone, but now he had to measure up to him, always being compared to him. Constantly being told that he wasn’t as good. That he wasn’t _good enough_. Always failing simulations even though he _knew_ he could do better.

It would’ve been so easy to start _hating_ Keith, and yet Lance never did. Even when by some kind of fate, they met again. Even though Lance seemed irritated and disdained because he was unsure how to act, even when Keith _had not even known his name_ … Lance never hated him, no matter what people may have thought. And Keith finally acknowledged him, even if they were off to a rocky start.

And now he and Keith and Shiro, as well as Lance's friends Hunk and Pidge, were all chosen to pilot a lion of Voltron and living and training together in space to defend the universe.

Lance’s crush only got stronger the more time they spent together, be it during training, or being competitive during exercises and exchanging banter. Slowly, they were growing closer, laughing together, smiling at each other.

The more time passed and the closer they became, the more Lance wondered if there was a chance that Keith returned his feelings. He had wished for this, during all this time of trying to catch Keith’s attention. And now they were team mates. Friends, even. Lance’s smiles were finally accepted and returned. It sparked a glimmer of hope inside him.

Then, one day, everyone told stories during an hour for bonding and relaxing in the common rooms. They shared stories from the Garrison, even Pidge and Shiro joining in. Allura and Coran were listening full of curiosity and amusement. The only one who didn’t say anything until prompted to do so by Allura was Keith.

What happened when Keith started to speak turned Lance’s world upside down.

Keith talked about his memory of a smile throughout his time at the Garrison and how it made him feel. He told about how the first instance it happened, he was so captivated by it he wanted to stop time to be able to look at it forever. He told about how with each time following after, whenever he saw that smile, he felt warm, like he was standing in a spot of sunlight. Told about how after he was kicked out, he tried to remember what it looked like, but all he had was feeling like the blue lion’s energy was like a faint reminder. He told about how after they arrived in space, he was able to see it up close every day now and was finally aware of the person it belonged to.

Each scene sounded far too familiar to Lance for it to be mere coincidence. There was no denying it—Keith was talking about Lance. _He had noticed_.

Keith was holding his gaze by the end of his speech and Lance was lost for words. Finally, he managed to say: “You … You remembered me after all...?”

In reply, Keith nodded and explained: “Well ... not directly. Back then, I wasn’t aware that it was _you_. I didn’t realize until we were out here.”

“So … what does this mean?” Lance asked.

He was aware of the others leaving once it was clear that this was intimate, something just between Keith and Lance. But he kept looking at Keith, all his confusion and hope on display, waiting for an answer.

Finally, Keith said: “I like you. I want to be with you.”

Lance beamed brightly, happy warmth bubbling in his chest. It was a magical moment, the two of them together, just sharing each other’s presence. Smiling, and reaching out to hold hands.

They took it slowly from there, but that was alright. They both felt the same, and there was no need to change anything. Aside from the added lingering touches and hand holding and sneaky kisses when no one was looking, they stayed the same.

It was all Lance could’ve dreamed of. It was perfect. Even if he could turn back time to make Keith notice sooner, he wouldn’t change a thing.


End file.
